For this New Year, I believe...

For this New Year:

I believe that each individual has the power to change the world, that every Action we take can ripple out farther than we realize. I believe that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. I believe that compassion is stronger than hatred. I believe that knowledge is stronger than ignorance, that understanding is stronger than fear. I believe that it is possible to see through another's eyes if you try. I believe that each of us is connected by our shared humanity that our similarities are more important than our differences. I believe that all individuals have a right to dignity and respect. I believe that Hope is stronger than despair. I believe that every act of random kindness makes this world a better place. I believe that while government make treaties individuals can make Peace. I believe that it is possible to change the path you are traveling. I believe that every individual must make a conscious effort to make peace. I believe that you have to lead by example. I believe that Peace Will Prevail. I believe that together we can Heal the Heart of Humanity.

Holidays greetings to everyone!

Jefferson MS students send boxes of books to the Philippines

A feeling of generosity and charity filled the students of Ms. Angala and Mr. Jou as we worked hard last Friday, December 17, for our "A Box of Books" project. About 15 small boxes of storybooks and other resources were donated by the Jefferson MS students to the children of the Philippines to start a library in a small barrio in Camarines Norte, Philippines. With this intercultural outreach project, it is hoped that our students and community participants will acquire the skills needed to be active, informed citizens who value diversity and promote cultural understanding by working collaboratively to address challenges that are inherent in living in an interconnected world. Principal Pride has been very supportive of this community service project and has communicated with several community members for our "Spring Cleaning Book Drive".

Many thanks to our reliable students, to Ms. Compton (our librarian) for coordinating the books, Mr. Levi-Goerlich (our Foreign Languages teacher) for some great ideas, and to all the teachers, parents and community members who helped and sponsored our boxes. Indeed we can do more when we all work together! Happy Holidays!

For more information about our "A Box of Books" outreach project, click this link.

NEXT STEP: Jefferson MS "Spring Cleaning Book Drive". We want to invite more schools and community members to get involved and participate in our outreach project to start a library in our adopted barrio in the Philippines. Please email solangala@yahoo.com. Our kids need your help!

When I think about Christmas, I think of home

There's no place like home, especially during Christmas.

It’s winter and cold. Christmas is different here in the US. I miss the warm Christmas back home.

In the Philippines, Christmas is the longest and most celebrated holiday.

I miss the Simbang Gabi which I used to go to with my childhood friends back in the province and with Reiner ever since we got together. We would wake up at the crack of dawn, braving the morning chill to go to church. This Simbang Gabi or pre-dawn Masses starts on December 16 and culminate in the Misa de Gallo on Christmas Eve. It was so much fun walking to church with the other church goers at dawn.

Christmas is very quiet here. I miss the carolers back home. Our Christmas in my country is not complete without music, and the season is celebrated by Filipinos through caroling. In every neighborhood, a group of kids would form together as amateur carolers and visit houses every night. Rae would gladly give them candies or as reward for singing Christmas songs. They even sang out of tune but that was ok. They were creative in using tin cans, plastic containers, and bamboos as their musical instruments. Now I miss the pleasing noise that these carolers made!

Now, we still share a sumptuous meal by twelve midnight on Christmas Eve (Noche Buena). But this doesn’t come anymore after the Misa de Gallo. As much as possible we still make our traditional hot “lugaw” or arroz caldo and a few more Filipino foods on our dining table. We still make it festive with the lighting of candles and the advent wreath.

This tradition is worth passing on to my children, and my children's children. The memory of Christmas – the family togetherness, the feasting, the gift-giving, the birth of the Christ Child that gives it all meaning – will linger in our hearts every Christmas time forever.

 

Pinoy teachers: please see our old pictures, click here.

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By the way, do you want to help with our outreach project of gift giving this Holidays?
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Our students at Jefferson Middle School are donating books to their counterpart in the Philippines. We welcome sponsors for the boxes that need to be shipped. Please email me: solangala@yahoo.com. Thanks to all those who already emailed and called me to pledge their support. My aunt, Tita Neng, initiated this project and we are now extending this project to our DCPS community.

Here's how to help: How do I sponsor a box of books?

Here's our video:

On great educators and great leaders

Education reform is a difficult journey. It takes a great team of effective captains and navigators to get us to our final destination (we don't get there overnight!). The very idea of having a new mayor, a new chancellor, and a new union leader is progressive. It's a good one; with their installation and oath taking is the acknowledgement that change is on the way. The year is about to end, we're turning a new page...new hope, new beginning. And with it comes the question of: where are we going now? Is this ship still heading to the right direction? Would the decisions of the ship captains and the navigators be best for everyone? These are the same questions we asked their predecessors who were once sitting in their same office.

At this point, teachers who are dedicated to teaching our kids what they should know and be able to do in life are tired of being promised the 21st century resources for our 21st century learners, administrative supports, and differentiatiated professional development training that we need to be successful at what we do...until now these things remain promises for most students and teachers. We need effective leaders and policy makers who meaningfully understand the teaching and learning standards and process; to evaluate what is working and not working in our schools; to reflect on and analyze the data; to set new  protocols, guidelines, and procedures based on the needs of our students, our teachers and our district profile; and to implement the new ideas generated that are deemed effective based on the said process.

One important quality that I can ascribe to a good educator is resiliency. Sometimes doing the same thing repeatedly when it hasn’t worked after a few trials is indeed just foolish. As classroom teachers we are oftentimes required to implement mandates and policies that affect our day to day work with our students with little or no input into the process. But we still survive and thrive with our students because of our innate skills of being able to work effectively in the worst working conditions.

Great teachers are able to adapt effectively to abrupt change. They are able to think outside-the-box instantly then strategically analyze and create innovative solutions that are far better than the old traditional ways. They believe in the power of good relationships and they know that collaboration is a win-win situation. They team up with educators across the nation who has seen things work in their classrooms and respective school districts to explore understandings so they can use it in familiar situations. Wisdom comes in learning from what worked and didn't work in the past...an attribute of a great educator...and a great leader.

Flexibility is a virtue, collaborating is a skill, wisdom is a gift; not all leaders have them. We are still in search of those leaders who can truly lead our schools and be the role model for our students and teachers.

With all due respect to our new leaders - Mayor Gray, DCPS Chancellor Henderson, and WTU President Saunders: Congratulations on your new positions and please know that we are counting on you. Things will not always be perfectly right for all of us, but rest assured that you can also count on our great teacher leaders when things get rough. All eyes are on you now!

Our trip to Hogwarts

Last week same day, Friday, we went to Orlando to visit Hogsmeade and Hogwarts Castle after celebrating Thanksgiving with my family and friends in Oviedo, FL. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was a wonderful experience for my daughter who's a Harry Potter fanatic; she enjoyed talking to the wizards about the different kinds of magic wands (funny how she was imitating their accent, LOL!), looking at the extraordinary shops of Hogsmeade and she loved the interesting sweet taste of Butterbeer! She was also amazed to actually see the different items in the movies and was amused by the moving and talking portraits of the wizards on the walls of the castle. She was thrilled by the Forbidden Journey ride which was like meeting up face to face with the Dementors, the dragons, and being in the middle of a quidditch match! She said the Hogwarts experience was actually like being one of the main characters in the HP movies! Here's our short clip...

I saw Dumbledore inside the Hogwarts Castle talking to the Muggles in the library, I took a good photo of him as I listened intently to what he was telling us...

THANK YOU NOTE:

By the way, thank you to all who supported our Parker-Egbufor Slate during this WTU internal elections. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The election results should not dishearten us, rather, it should inspire us more to reach out and hold on to each other for ourselves and our students...together we can work more effectively. A rope made of many cords is harder to break.  Remember that there is always a reason for everything. What matters most is the journey, what we have learned from each other during the process and who we have positively impacted while going through it. I say to you with utmost sincerity and conviction that one person can really make a difference... and everyone of you is that person!

Colleagues, I may not be your official special education WTU representative anymore but rest assured that I am still here for all of you to listen to you and stand by you. You can always reach me via Facebook, Twitter, text messages, email, this blog, or you can drop by my classroom so we can learn from each other and empower ourselves. Let's keep the fire burning...talk to you later!

My friend Jonathan Jou - Featured in the Pictorial DCPS School Calendar

Kudos to my friend, Jonathan Jou for being featured on this month's DCPS calendar and on the DCPS website...

“My grandfather was a high school principal, my father was a college professor for 35 years and my mother was a high school teacher for 30 years. This family legacy inspired me to become a teacher.

“I believe an ESL teacher is here to help students go through the transition to living in this country. I do believe it takes a village to educate a child. As a member of this community, I’m very glad that I can be part of that community to promote students educational success. I believe all my students can realize their American dreams, if they try their best.”

“He’s patient, nice and hardworking. Mr. Jou always told us to do our best to be successful in this country, just like he does his best to help us out on weekends to make sure we’re successful in the American school system.”

Mo Lam, eighth grader, Jefferson Middle School

“When we have some questions, my teacher teaches us on Saturdays.”

Min Huang, eighth grader, Jefferson Middle School

“He’s very patient. He is so nice. He’s like our friend.”

Yuxi Liu, seventh grader, Jefferson Middle School

Jonathan and I are co-teaching a remedial program for our the ELL students at Jefferson; he gives them academic supports in mathematics and I do the reading intervention for two hours afterschool every Monday and Wednesday. We give them the accomodations they need and modify the lessons teaching the concepts in various ways targeting their diverse learning styles. Our collaboration worked effectively in the past and we are determined to continue this partnership of giving our students, who need special supports, the skills and strategies they need to learn the academic standards that are required for them to be successful in this country. 

Jonathan was a recipient of the National Milken Award for Educators (hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching" by Teacher Magazine) in 2007.